Assemblyman Ruben Ramos looked more pleased while sitting next to him the Hoboken union rep Gary Enrico did not.

Ramos backer Perry Belfiore recovered from the glum defeat pleased as punch especially when Brian Murray attacked.

Filled to capacity – the meeting had a full house going out into the hallway in the rear.

Brian Murray ditched his notes to go on the attack saying, “They’re lying to you” as his opener to a screed of political accusations of mismanagement and malfeasance. He was short on examples to back up his contentions.

Councilman Dave Mello said he was speaking as a parent and advocated on behalf of the HoLa expansion and also special needs children.  Do those worlds not collide?  MSV is not sure.

Trustees Kearns and Biancamano respectfully listened to the public speakers as the entire board did.

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An HoLa parent speaks at the Hoboken BoE surrounded by other HoLa parents sitting on the floor in an overfilled room.

A visit to the BoE showed a rather respectful meeting where HoLa parents were petitioning the Hoboken BoE not support its Superintendent Mark Toback in his letter prepared for the NJ Department of Education opposing their expansion.

Other than failed BoE candidate Brian Murray who made all negative remarks/attacks against those who he had lost to in the election last week, the parents were respectful and positive asking for support of their school.

It’s a conflicted situation where no easy answers will be forthcoming. Read More...

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In a story to be told of the haves in Hoboken protesting for more against the have nots, every political malcontent re: losers in last week’s elections is at the BoE where tonight’s meeting is overflowing with dozens of angry HoLA parents who want to see their charter school expanded.  They have made an invasion on their board rivals at the district’s BoE and Superintendent.

The resolution in support of Superintendent Mark Toback’s letter to Trenton, (see below) has been pulled from tonight’s agenda. It would have been interesting to hear the minority BoE members arguing against their own middle and lower middle class students and the impact yet to be determined on their part of the district.  It’s unclear if HoLa is given approval for expansion by Trenton, requiring possible cuts elsewhere for expanding HoLa grades. Is that in the cards where currently two fifth grade classes of nine HoLa students can’t graduate ahead without having the charter school expanded.  HoLa currently goes up to the fifth grade. Wait, =&1=&

At the end of the short, two hour council meeting last Wednesday, Councilman Dave Mello spoke about the campaign concluded the day before and directed some strong remarks about the YouTube ads put forward by Councilwoman Beth Mason and the Raia-Mason campaign.

He described them as despicable.  Beth Mason herself had nothing to say at all about the campaign, her underwriting of political attacks deemed defamatory by many and of course her latest failure to buy control of Hoboken via Timmy Occhipinti. Read More...

There’s a new Old Guard style political fight being waged on the question of expanding the HoLA school.  As it proposes to expand upper grades, it’s said there is dwindling enrollments and test scores against its peers being immediate problems with upheaval the administrative constant.

Enter a bitter BoE losing candidate who lacked credibility when proposing to the public a trifecta of dads should be able to have public pool time for their kids except they should not be required to obtain insurance in order to do so in a staged political attack of embarrassing proportions. Read More...

The “one” Hoboken campaign spending perhaps more than the other two combined, the walking dead connected to the Raia-Mason ticket have a target on their backs and the Ramos campaign folks are itching to lay into them beginning with a recall of Timmy Occhipinti who occupies the fourth ward council seat.

The Ramos folks would like to get help from Reform but like the previous feints of a Beth Mason recall, they’ll have to own it if they decide to go that route.  Who would you rather see on the dais, a defanged droll Timmy droning on and on starting every sentence with “this administration” or a revived Ruben Ramos who would double team effectively with Councilman Michael Russo in making lots of noise? Read More...

It’s the weekend after and Reform is coming to the realization a nightmare is coming to a close.  The deadlock in government is over and now comes the slew of initiatives blocked earlier for no other reason but stopping the mayor from doing what’s right for the City of Hoboken.


From repaving Washington Street to upgrading and delivering on the expectations of the much needed HOP buses, there’s a list of things the Hoboken Sopranos blocked harming Hoboken because progress could not be allowed under the mayor’s and a reform council’s watch.


That’s all over.


Da Horsey is hearing from all strata of Hoboken life and the reality is sinking in – a victory for all of Hoboken has been won.  Once again, voters stared into the abyss of what the Old Guard offered and from Marine View to the Hudson Tea Building and all points in-between they said “enough.”


They’ll be griping from the usual corners: the haters, the morally derelict, the back room dealing crowd, the embittered Masonistas, the profiteers who gnash their teeth at the loss of Jersey Shore homes seeing Vision 20/20 evaporate (but not the six figure campaign debt up on the hill.)


Now it’s Hoboken’s turn and this is our town.  And ole blue eyes’.  Take it away Frank. Read More...

The waste of campaigns is gone but there is one campaign laid waste by Hoboken voters still kicking around.  Reports of the Raia-Mason slate campaign garbage are coming in around town and people are beginning to complain why they don’t remove the eyesore.

One person wrote saying to Timmy on Facebook,  “How about you throw out your garbage?”

An illegal sign placed on 14th Street for Timmy Occhipinti is still there.  Hey, fire up that bulldozer!

MSV has heard other similar complaints from the fourth ward saying, “It’s a mess down here with (their) Timmy garbage.” Read More...

The see saw battle on rent control is over with the “NO” votes again prevailing by 122 votes.

Last year they won the election before it was overturned in court by 52 votes. The final tally after provisional ballots: Yes:     =&0=& No:      5144 The final tallies in the mayoral race: Dawn Zimmer        =&2=& Ruben Ramos        =&3=& Timmy Occhipinti   =&4=& Final margin of victory for Mayor Zimmer is 1,571 votes.

Winners:

=&0=& – from the moment she became Acting Mayor the Old Guard never accepted her after Cammarano finally resigned and eventually went to prison.  Mayor Zimmer responded with class and dignity every step of the way and the crushing victory at the polls proved her right.  Her agenda is led by another pump and a resiliency plan which may become her legacy but both cost serious money and her never say die work ethic and attitude will see lots of progress.  The mayor has cut fat and lowered expenditures all over government making whatever budget challenges arise a bigger obstacle ahead.  The Old Guard placed every roadblock in the way they could and ransacked her communications for almost a year and a half and they still couldn’t beat her.  No reason to start thinking that will change.

Councilman-elect Ravi Bhalla. He’s back for four more years and stands tall having weathered some of the vilest attacks from Beth Mason.

=&1=& – the civil rights activist lawyer found himself on the end of brutal, ugly and some suggest racist defamation.  He held the dignity of himself and family high while standing up eloquently in the face of the most vicious, foulest attacks seen in Hoboken over decades.  As he said at the victory party – “we’re all standing.”  His future is bright but he has to know the bulls eye on his back won’t go away. He did after all survive a direct attack by the Queen of Vindictive Mean – Beth Mason. A reorganization meeting of the City Council may take place in January not July. Another round as City Council President would be in order. He was the best seen in MSV’s years observing the role in Hoboken. =&2=& – he stood with grace arguing the police reorganization in 2010 which eventually saw no layoffs but he’s become a friend to reform and a rising community leader with this election.  His efforts along with others leading a Reform win in Marine View Towers sounded a thunderclap on election night that will have people on both sides of the electoral divide talking for months.  He’s the new OEM coordinator and a rising star in demonstrating what leadership, strong values and putting Hoboken first is all about.  When people talk about divisions in Hoboken, they need to speak to him and =&3=& his example.  =&4=& – suffered through much in his quiet Irish stoicism.  He won’t have to remain quiet for much longer. A true, honest voice of dedication to the community, it was a toxic decision to appeal the court decision upholding his original appointment. Toxic is what Beth Mason does so now she gets to see him more often and a lot closer on the council dais. His time in purgatory only endeared him more to the community. =&5=& – he’s found his voice and mission to match his passion for the City. Now he has to marshal the drive and focus with his long list of demands from the council to the Hoboken Housing Authority where more leadership will be needed.  Communication, coordination and interfacing with others will determine how far the objectives are made.  Had the line of the night at the party, short and sweet saying, “Does this feel good or does this feel good?”  It brought the house down. =&6=& – in the most contested issue in Hoboken, they withstood a questionable legal challenge forcing the issue back on the ballot. It goes back to court it says here. Can the NJ judiciary repeat the fiasco a second time?  Hopefully not as everyone agrees changes are needed and should be done through City government. =&7=& – a picture perfect advocate for the district, she made a splash as the top vote getter in the BoE race. Kids First is a mature brand and now it needs to move squarely into another phase of its majority.  Evans may be the model for what evolves in Hoboken education: a leader who can bring all discordant voices together accelerating improvements in the district.  Superintendent Mark Toback will be pleased to see her arrival. =&8=& – a model of decorum and reasonableness, her steadfast approach to rise above the fray once again made Kids First dominant in sweeping the BoE election again.  Both her temperament and stature in the community is a model for anyone (and everyone) to follow. A former Elk of the Year, talk to her about divisive politics and watch it melt into a discussion of how we can make the community stronger.  =&9=& – his election is confirmation he was not out on a limb in his leadership in running the BoE meetings: a proper mix of business like professionalism and stern direction. Sets a standard for everyone to follow on the dais and in the audience. It’s welcome and the voters agreed. =&10=& – the husband of the mayor runs a business in midtown Manhattan but became an object of attack with a ridiculous lawsuit by HHA Director Carmelo Garcia. He never became the issue although others tried to make him one.  He stayed in the background and kept supporting his wife as he’s proudly done for years. He’ll continue showing how a strong husband can aid his wife who is a rising state and national figure. =&11=& – a loss would have erased all the gains for the City after 2009.  One of the biggest issues in the election was a secret massive redevelopment advocated by the Old Guard called Vision 20/20. Only Dawn Zimmer and Reform questioned it and demanded accountability. It’s a legacy unspoken and likely was unheard by most residents. The maturity of the movement is what brought it to this position. It takes lots of sacrifice from =&12=&, not the ambition of a few and today =&13=& gets to enjoy the fruits of that maturity.   =&14=& – the people have won because this is the most open, transparent government in its history, end of story.  Voices are heard like never before in Hoboken while others complain they aren’t. The negative voices insist capitulation is “listening” but they never listen to anyone.  Not on the hospital, not on repaving Washington Street, not on the budget surplus… the list goes on and on.  Special interests and big moneyed interests – especially from outside of Hoboken has never had to wait in line for a hearing as they do now.  In Hoboken, it’s Hoboken first. =&15=& (This is not a comprehensive/ordered list. There’s many people who won, many others on the rise. Many of you will be called to do more for Hoboken.  Answer the bell!) Unlike the winners list, the losers list is in order of loserdom.

Beth and Ricky Mason – Beth is the public face of the latest loserdom driven by her animus against Mayor Dawn Zimmer.  Did you know that Mayor Zimmer beat Beth Mason not once but twice for mayor – and in the same year? 20% of Hoboken residents change in a four year period so many (new) readers won’t know that and it’s what funds all the ugliness in this town’s toxic political environment.

Ricky Mason is the treasurer of the Mason political committee and the person who deposits the money dedicated to harming Hoboken into a Beth accessible checking account.  The One Hoboken name was repackaged from 2009 as well.  Great idea Beth along with taking out full page ads and putting yourself on the back page so we all know who the loser is pushing all the other losers.  Hoboken heard you loud and clear and even with the coupled 250K in a short campaign, you managed to hit the pavement harder then in the spring of 2009.  Got a clue yet? Read More...